Pre-Law Track

Politics majors who wish to tailor their major more specifically as preparation for law school may follow the formal politics pre-law track. Interested students should register at the departmental office and contact the program coordinator, Dr. Dennis Coyle, for advisement.

Pre-law students take POL 220: Introduction to Law and Politics, in addition to the three introductory courses required of all majors. They then take two law-related courses at the 300 or 400 levels, including at least one semester of Constitutional Law (323 and/or 324). Other offerings vary from year to year, and may include courses such as Law and Morality, Principles of the American Founding, or International Organizations. Please consult with Dr. Coyle and the department administrative assistant for a current list.

Finally, pre-law students take one 400-level law-related course, usually in the senior year. Classes typically offered at this level include POL 407A: The Supreme Court, or other course under advisor approval.

Pre-law students may take additional law-related courses and simply count them toward their regular concentration or as general Politics classes.

Note that the pre-law sequence supplements, but does not replace, other requirements for the major. Thus, the student still pursues one of the three regular concentrations – American, world, or theory – while completing the additional requirements below. All pre-law courses also count toward a regular concentration, so no additional coursework is required.